The United States is growing a record 2 tons of cannabis crop – but will still not let others grow

Magnify / Marijuana plants grow in a greenhouse in Colorado, not for research.

With the latest explosion of cannabis access and CBD products, federally funded researchers are encouraging more research into potential hazards and benefits. But if some scientists were hoping for more varied sources of cannabis sources that could better reflect on what patients have access to, for example, they may remain to hold their breath.

Three years after he wanted more cannabis suppliers to research, the US government continues to hold a monopoly on cultivating the crop. While more than two dozen entities have filed applications for drug administration to become producers, the government has set foot in the processing of paperwork and instead strengthens its own crop; The exclusive supplier, the University of Mississippi, is growing 2 tons this year, the largest crop of five years, according to an Associated Press report.

Orthopedist Emily Lindley at the University of Colorado and other researchers are not happy with the situation, according to the AP. Lindley, studying cannabis with high THC levels, may be an alternative to addictive opioids for chronic back pain, saying she wants more vendors than just Ole Miss, who has had limited strain variants and product availability. "We will study what our patients are using," she said.

While patients may follow state laws on access to cannabis for medical and / or leisure purposes, federally funded researchers must follow federal law, which still classifies cannabis as a Schedule I substance. These drugs are defined as "high potential for abuse and potential for creating serious psychological and / or physical addiction." Other Schedule I substances are LSD and heroin.

The Thought Agreement

The Government's Exclusive Agreements with the University of Mississippi to grow the very limited drugs back to 1

968, when a researcher offered to cultivate cannabis for research as a service to some colleagues. The federal government then created a contract for the university to be the sole provider. Although the contracts had five years terms, there was no institution that competed with the Mississippi for the deal.

In 2016, the Drug Enforcement Administration said it would consider multiple vendor licensing to support research efforts. "Based on discussions with NIDA [the National Institute on Drug Abuse] and the FDA, the DEA has concluded that the best way to satisfy the current researcher is to search for a number of strains of marijuana and cannabinoid extracts, to increase the number of federally authorized marijuana growers," DEA wrote at that time. .

It added that it "fully supports growing research on the potential medical aid to marijuana and its chemical constituents."

And since 2016, some of the potential medical tools have been realized. In June 2018, the Food and Drug Administration approved a CBD-based treatment for certain seizures affecting children. (CBD, acronym for cannabidiol, is a component of cannabis that does not cause poisoning or euphoric "high" related to cannabis use.)

Nevertheless, DEA has not dealt with the more than two dozen applications submitted by potential producers. AP notes that in June, the Scottsdale Research Institute in Arizona asked an appeal court in DC to order DEA to process the applications. The case is underway.

A spokesman for DEA replied that the agency still "works through the process and these applications are under consideration", but did not comment on the trial.